The purpose of this course is to develop skills that enable students
to use their minds more effectively. It is concerned with the development
of critical thinking skills. Critical thinking means to think consciously,
deliberately and skillfully. It is to use one’s mind effectively
and optimally to achieve desired ends. In this regard, the course
focuses on the following: Identifying inner biases and beliefs, suspending
judgment and avoiding jumping to conclusions, understanding causation and
hypothesis testing, articulating thoughts clearly, distinguishing facts
from mere opinions, accepting diverse points of view, understanding probability,
identifying valid and invalid forms of argumentation, and learning how to
analyze arguments effectively. To achieve these ends, the course makes
use of various homework and in-class assignments where each of these skills
is developed. In addition, students have to complete two written papers
and three exams, all of which focus on their ability to think and to express
themselves clearly and effectively.

Cognition (PSY332)

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the basic theories
and research in cognitive psychology. Specific areas that are addressed
include attention, perception and pattern recognition, memory, language
processing, judgment and reasoning, categorization, and problem solving.
In addressing these content areas, we pay special attention to how empirical
research in cognitive psychology is conducted. The goal is to hone
students’ scientific reasoning skills, and to get them to think and solve
problems like cognitive psychologists. Students are assessed by tests
that require predominantly written answers, rather than multiple-choice
questions. They are also given regular quizzes. In addition,
students are required to expand their knowledge of cognitive psychology by
writing a term paper on any topic in the field that is of interest to them.
This paper requires that they read and integrate a minimum of five journal
articles in the area of cognition.

Human Sociobiology (PSY346I)

This course introduces students to the basic theories and research in evolutionary psychology. It begins by introducing students to basic concepts in evolutionary biology, and how these pertain to the architecture of human cognition. In addition to discussing fundamental issues, we also explore specific content areas including, among other things, sexual attraction and mate selection, violence and aggression, social status, cooperation and social exchange. Throughout the course, attention is paid to a discussion of how research in evolutionary psychology is carried out. Students are assessed with primarily written tests, and with regular quizzes. In addition, students are required to expand their knowledge of this field by writing a term paper on any topic that is of interest to them. This paper requires that they read and integrate a minimum of five journal articles in the area.

Research interests

My research interests are broadly in the area of cognitive psychology.
In particular, I conduct research in the following areas: (a)
Figurative language . This research looks at the role of comparison
and categorization processes in the comprehension of metaphors and similes,
as well as the nature of the cognitive architecture underlying the capacity
for figurative cognition. Specifically, I am examining the role of working memory mechanisms in the production and comprehension of metaphors. (b) Attention. This research
tests different theories of negative priming, examining what happens to
information that is ignored. (c) Reading acquisition. Individual
differences in reading acquisition are linked to individual differences
in phonological awareness, the ability to explicitly identify and manipulate
speech sounds. I examine whether differences in phonological awareness
are caused by deficiencies in the mechanisms underlying speech perception.
(d) Evolutionary psychology . My empirical research in evolutionary
psychology is concerned with testing implications of social contract theory,
a theory that examines the psychological mechanisms underlying our capacity
to engage in social exchange (in cooperation for mutual benefit). My
theoretical research critiques the central idea of evolutionary psychology,
the idea that the human mind is predominantly made up of domain-specific
modular mechanisms. I am working on a theory
of the psychological mechanisms underlying general intelligence, which I
argue is necessary for solving novel problems, and for developing novel solutions
to longstanding adaptive problems.

Publications

1. Peer-Reviewed Articles

Chiappe, D. L. and MacDonald, K. (2005). The evolution of domain-general mechanisms in intelligence and learning. Journal of General Psychology, 132, 5-40.

Chiappe, D., Chambers, V., Stute, C., McCulloch, K., Nelson, D., and Melendrez, J. (2005). The role of working memory functions in metaphor production. Poster presented at the 2005 meeting of the American Psychonomic Society.

McCulloch, K. and Chiappe, D. (2005). Memory for cheaters and cooperators in social contract situations. Poster presented at the meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, University of Texas, Austin, June 2, 2005

Chiappe, D., Koontz, J. and McCulloch, K. (2005). Working memory functions and metaphor comprehension. Poster presented at the 85th annual meeting of the Western Psychological Association, April 14, 2005.

Chiappe, D., Chanes, J., Ochoa, E., McCulloch, K., and Koontz, J. (2004). The Role Of The Executive Functions Of Working Memory In Metaphor Comprehension. Poster presentation at the 2004 meeting of the American Psychonomic Society.

Chiappe, D. and Koontz, J. (2004). Cheaters are looked at longer and remembered better than cooperators in social exchange situations. Poster presented at the 84th annual meeting of the Western Psychological Association, April 23rd, 2004.

Chiappe, D., Dow, B., Rodriguez, M. and Koontz, J. (2003). Cheaters and cooperators are equally salient in social exchange situations. Poster presented at the meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, University of Nebraska, June 4, 2003.

Chiappe, D., Rodriguez, M., and Dow, B. (2003). Memory for cheaters and cooperators in social exchange situations. Poster presentation at the 83rd annual meeting of the Western Psychological Association, May 2, 2003

Kennedy, J. Chiappe, D., and Cowley, M. (2003). Metaphors are more apt than similes! Conventionality plays a minor role? Poster presentation at the 2003 meeting of the American Psychonomic Society.

MacDonald, K. and Chiappe, D. (2003). The evolution of domain general mechanisms in intelligence and learning. Paper presented at the Fourth annual meeting of the International Society for Intelligence Research, December 6, 2003.

Chiappe, D., Brown, A., and Rodriguez, M. (2002). Remembering the faces of potential cheaters and cooperators in social contract situations. Poster presented at the meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, Rutgers University, June 21, 2002.

MacDonald, K. and Chiappe, D. (2002). The Evolution of General Intelligence: The Roles of Working Memory and Analogical Reasoning in Solving Novel Problems. Paper presented at the meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, Rutgers University, June 20, 2002.

Chiappe, D. L. and Kennedy, J. M. (2001). Metaphor or simile?
Apt or conventional? And what changes? Poster presentation at the
2001 meeting of the American Psychonomic Society.

Chiappe, D. L. (2000). The role of comparison and categorization in
the comprehension of figurative statements. Invited address to the
Center for Cognitive Science at SUNY Buffalo, November 29, 2000.

Chiappe, D. L. and Kennedy, J. M. (2000). Literal bases for
metaphor and simile: Category and similarity claims. Paper presented
at the 2000 meeting of the American Psychonomic Society.

Chiappe, P., Chiappe, D., and Siegel, L. (2000). The role
of the lexicon in the speech perception of reading disabled and normally
achieving children. Paper presentation at the 2000 meeting of the
Society for the Scientific Study of Reading.

Chiappe, D. L. and Kennedy, J. M. (1998). Are metaphors
elliptical similes? Paper presented at the 1998 meeting of the American
Psychonomic Society.

MacLeod, C.M., and Chiappe, D.L. (1998). Patterns of negative
priming for identical and related words when the cueing context changes
between prime and probe. Paper presented at the 8th Annual Meeting
of the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour and Cognitive Science.
Carleton University, June 18-20.

Kennedy, J. M. and Chiappe, D. L. (1997). What makes a
metaphor stronger than a simile? Paper presented at the Conference
on Researching and Applying Metaphor II, a Seminar of the Danish Network
for Metaphor, Culture and Cognition, May 29-31, 1997, Copenhagen.

Kennedy, J. M. and Chiappe, D. L. (1996). Metaphors involve
more features than similes. Paper presented at the 1996 meeting
of the American Psychonomic Society.

Chiappe, D. L. (2003). The role of comparison and categorization in the comprehension of metaphors and similes. Invited presentation at the Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, December 3rd.

Chiappe, D. L. (2003). Evolution of general intelligence: The role of working memory and analogical reasoning in solving novel problems. Invited presentation at the UCLA Center for Behavior, Evolution, and Culture, April 7, 2003.

Chiappe, D. L. and Macdonald, K. (2001). Is the mind massively modular? A critique of evolutionary psychology. Invited presentation for the ”Half-baked ideas” seminar at CSULB, September 7th.

Chiappe, D. L. (2000). The role of comparison and categorization in the comprehension of figurative statements. Invited address to the Center for Cognitive Science at SUNY Buffalo, November 29, 2000.